Thanks for the suggestions and advice!Originally Posted by txdpd
For the time being, I think my Powerbloks will suffice. But perhaps one day in the future I will need something more.
Thanks for the suggestions and advice!
For the time being, I think my Powerbloks will suffice. But perhaps one day in the future I will need something more.
I got some reps in with 90s doing dumbbell press Sunday. Not a ton, but it does mean I am stronger than even a few months ago. I am looking forward to trying some of these programs. It's hard for me to stay focused and takes real effort, so trying different things helps.
The next 2-3 weeks I will be focusing on cardio in preparation for my hike in Big Bend. It's a hike I have done before, but I want my pants to be a little less tight. haha
Old School
Squat Training
by Paul Anderson
First, we must be as comfortable in all lifts and especially the deep knee bend. There are so many different sizes and shapes of people with so many different makeups that it is hard to say what is just right for everyone. Basically, we are going to have to do a deep knee bend in a manner that puts the weight squarely on the thigh muscles, which means keeping a straight back. Any time that we lean forward on the recovery of a deep knee bend more than just to keep our balance, we are distorting the lifting and in turn not doing it properly. To add to this we are cheating ourselves out of much strength that could be placed in the legs by putting it off on other muscle groups. Considering all of this let’s try to do a deep knee bend with a straight back and go down into the low position, rising again in the same way.
To accomplish having a straight back squat, some lifters must of course raise their heels so that they will not be in a strain in this position. The bar placed across the shoulders and back of the neck is never going to be the most comfortable thing going, so in practicing, a pad should be used and only the “limit tries’ should be done with a bare bar. I feel that sometime in the future the bar for a contest will have to be larger than our regular 1 1/6 inch bars, because these are going to be quite dangerous with 900 plus pounds.
Try to squat naturally. By this, I mean to try to make it a natural movement. Judge your foot spacing and heel height to what feels good to you. Don’t try to get in an unnatural position just to handle more weight. In the long run this is going to work down on your poundage instead of build it up as you may temporarily think.
The rules say that the top of the thigh must be parallel to the floor to make for a full squat. Many have cheated themselves by just shooting for this parallel position and stopping before they go all the way down. I make this statement because I think much power can be built in a real low position to help drive all the way up through the sticking point. The only reason I would tell a lifter not to go all the way to the bottom in a full squat is if it gave him tremendous back pains and soreness. I am not talking about just temporary soreness, but a chronic ailment in this area. If a temporary soreness occurs just from stretching the body into the deep knee bend position, and then goes away after a few other workouts I will stick to my original recommendation. Go all the way down.
Routine One
The first routine I am going to recommend will be scoffed at by some and overlooked by others as they seek a more intricate exercise session, but I urge you to include this in your workout whether you are a beginner or veteran lifter. I think that through the years I have overcome more stale periods by doing 3 sets of 10’s than any other remedy for overwork with heavier weights and various assistance exercises. Considering this I will ask you to do a routine of 3 sets of 10 reps after a warmup. As always, judge your own resting period between sets. If you are not in condition to do 3 sets of 10, you may start off with one set and work up to three. I say this because not only is this a good routine to overcome a feeling of staleness but it is good for coming back after a layoff, as well as for the beginner. It gets you into the “groove” as well as builds size and strength.
Routine Two
This second routine is going to sound elementary because I am going to ask you to go from the 3 sets of 10 to 3 sets of 3’s. A greater warmup will be necessary because I want you to do 3 sets of 3 with the weight you feel is appropriate and will work you properly. The 3 sets of 3’s will take some of the size and expansion that has been put into the muscle from your 3 sets of 10’s and will add some real strength to your squatting power. You will have to be very careful on your sets of 3’s that you do not go stale, for so many times you will find this happening after gaining strength from the movements when doing them for several workouts. I am writing from experience and not theory. These squatting routines can be used at any time, but I am bringing you straight through them at least once, because I want you to approach the last one in good condition. Like all the other routines, you may later use them at your pleasure but at first; follow them in the order offered.
Routine Three
There comes a time in any squatting routine when progress slows down unless a quarter squatting system is brought in. I realize that many of you have done all variations of the squat, but after doing the 3 sets of 3’s, I recommend bringing the quarter squat into you routine in this manner. Warm up, do a set of 10’s in the full squat, and then a set of 5 reps in the quarter squat. These two movements will constitute a set and at this point in your workouts as I have recommended, you should be able to do at least three sets consisting of these two movements.
One of the key words in quarter squatting is safety. Handling a weight that you can only raise about four to six inches can be quite dangerous if safety precautions are not taken. This can be handled in many ways and here are a few that I have used.
The first is the use of a power rack as we have grown to know it in the past few years. This consists of two upright supports on each side with the bar traveling in between. At graduated intervals, a pin is put through the uprights on which to rest the weight. This is a safe way of performing the movement. That is, raising the weight off of the pin from the quarter squat position up into an upright stance. Another I have used, which is also foolproof as far as falling with the weight of pushing the weight off of the stands, is to actually weld legs onto a bar. Two widely spaced legs on each side secured permanently to the bar, allowing the weights to be put on either end is one of the most desired methods. Of course, it has to be made just for the height of the one person using it. Picture it as being something like a modified version of a carpenter’s sawhorse. I have found that using a quarter squat bar and racks is most ideal. It consists of two heavy squat racks with a permanent loop ever each end so that the bar cannot get out. The racks are equipped with automobile bumper jacks so that they can be raised and lowered to the desired position. I realize that others are using these, but I believe that I had them in operation several years before I saw anyone else employing the idea.
By no means try to do the quarter squat under conditions where the bar is free, for it will surely invite accidents, sometimes very serious ones.*
Routine Four
In this routine we will keep the quarter squat and arrange it in a position that I feel is most advantageous in an advanced program. First do 10 reps in the full squat after a proper warmup. Then 3 quarter squats with a weight that is adequate for that amount of reps. Next, do three full squats with a weight that works you quite well, and then round out the set with one-legged squats.
One legged squats can be performed in many ways with many degrees of results. I personally have found the best way to accomplish these is to do them by standing with the leg to be worked on a bench or low table that will allow the athlete to go down into a full knee bend position on the one leg and rise again without the other leg touching the floor. To better explain, the leg not in use is to hang off the end of the bench or table as the exercise is being performed. Do as many of these as possible, working up to about 20 reps. If balance is a problem, there is no harm in placing a hand or finger against the wall or a near object to keep balance, just as long as it is not used to help the lift itself.
Again, three sets of this routine are preferred. A set consists of 10 squats, 3 quarter squats, 3 full squats, and as many one-legged squats as possible, working up to about 20.
Routine Five
At this time I would like for you to consider an exercise that I have found to be quite productive along with my squatting routines, and I have read that some of the European lifters have discovered that jumping movements have also been good for them. This is exactly what I am talking about: jumping. When our weightlifting team was traveling for the State Department in 1955, I remember I would get some real strange looks and sometimes many questions when I would go leaping around the warmup room or stadium grounds in what we would call jump-squat movements. In performing this, I would go all the way down into a full squat position and leap forward and as high as possible. By exerting as much leaping power as possible, much strain is put on the muscles, and in turn, the groups being exercised are stimulated and strengthened just as though a slower movement was being done with weights.
As years have gone by I have found that the best way to perform this type movement is to leap up on a table. Just like different poundages are handled by different lifters, a different height table is required for those with various abilities to leap flat-footed with a single leap landing flat-footed on the table. Make sure that the object that you are leaping up on is fixed so that it cannot slide when it is receiving your total weight. Do these leaping movements in sets of 10’s. Leap onto the table, descend to the floor, and leap again until ten have been accomplished. I believe that you will find this a new and strange sensation in your regular work at this point, making for a different stimulation to the muscles and continuing them on their way to personal records in the squat for you. To incorporate the jumps into a set, do 10 going down about halfway into a squatting position for your leaps, 5 in the regular deep knee bend, and 5 in the quarter squat. These three movements will constitute a set. Work up to 3 sets.
If, as time goes by, your leaping power increases, surely it is wise to make your table a little higher to compensate for your new explosive power.
Routine Six
This sixth routine I will give you is a real killer. I have waited until last because you must be in tremendous condition to do this particular routine. It has to do with the theory of lowering a heavy weight with as much resistance as possible. I will first describe how I like to do the exercise, and then talk about the “whys.”*
A set is as follows: warm up and do one set of 10’s with a weight that works you, then with two strong spotters and the bar loaded to a heavier weight than your natural squat, or more than you can do in one rep in the natural deep knee bend, have the spotters help you lift the bar from the rack and assist you as you step back into the squatting position. Variations of this can be worked out on a power rack by removing the pins when the bar is brought up and then the spotters help to force the weight down. Or other safety devices can be used such as parallel bars at the squat position, weights large enough to hit the floor when the athlete can’t get back up, etc. The latter is the reason that I have used the large wheels for my deep knee bends in training for years. Many people have been impresses with these tremendous wheels that weight about 400 pounds apiece. But the real purpose of them has been to just touch the floor if I have added more weight than I can get up with. This helps as a safety factor such as the others I have named, and allows me to use a heavy weight, heavier than I can return to upright with, in safety.*
Practice with lighter weights before going to something that will actually do the work.
To continue with our instructions on actually performing the lift: as the spotters back up with the lifter, they should help him get in position and then, when ready, the lifter should start down himself naturally in the lift. Many lifters would have ten times strength enough to hold all the poundage the spotters could place on the bar, if the knees were not voluntary broken. After the knees are slightly bent and the bar is being brought down, the spotters are in control of how much downward pressure, or weight, they are putting on the bar as they have their hands in a position where they can either lift up or push down. If this weight is adequate to work the higher position in the squat, which is not as necessary as the sticking point in low position, the spotters will have to be quite careful that they allow the bar to slow down as the sticking point and lower positions are reached. Of course, working the high side of the squat is not as important since we are doing so many quarter squats. The main thing we want to consider is the sticking point and low position as the lifter fights the weight, when the spotters are pressing it down. When the bottom is reached, the lifter should try to drive up from the low position 3 times. Coming up as high into the sticking point as he possibly can, and fighting it, and going down to the bottom and attempting it two more times. After this, the spotters can pull the weight back up to standing position, and they will probably have to handle most of this weight, because the lifter is going to be pretty well exhausted after his 3 attempts on the bottom. Pushing him down two more times with each bottom position being a foundation for the three upper tries again, these spotters should then help the lifter up for the last time and carefully place the bar back on the racks.*
As I have said, power racks are very good for this movement to be performed in, since the lifter doesn’t have to take a step backward or forward from the racks before doing his lifts. In performing a set of this particular routine, which consists of 10 repetitions in the deep knee bend, and the 3 downward movements with each containing 3 attempts to rise before the spotters help the lifter up, the athlete to decide exactly how to modify the routine for his particular use. If, at the start, one force down knee bend with the lifter fighting as hard as possible against the spotters and then doing the three upward attempts at the bottom before being lifted up again exhaust him, he should call it a day without doing the other two repetitions. Anyway, how many repetitions you choose to do in the down position is up to you, but I would recommend working up to 3 even though you cannot do but one set consisting of the 10 deep knee bends and the 3 force down movements. 3 sets should be the limit.
Routine Seven
Although I am not claiming that this routine is new with me, I feel that I have done more experimenting with it than anyone else, and in turn have written more about it than any other instructor. My personal name for it is Progressive Movement Training. This is the only time I am going to ask you to deviate from my rule of thumb of always doing the actual movement, because I feel with all the reps you have been doing in the deep knee bend you are pretty well in the groove and will not get out of the groove in the time that you spend on the Progressive Movement squatting routine.
The real trick to it is repetition variation as well as lengthening the movement. The idea of doing this in the squat is to start off with a quarter squat lift in a power rack, or a squat rack with some type of guards running up each side to keep the weight from falling out in case of a loss of balance.
By starting off in a quarter squat, you should use a weight about 100 pounds more than your best full squat. I realize this is a very light weight in comparison to what you can quarter squat with, but this is part of the plan. I recommend doing about 20 to 25 repetitions in the quarter squatting movement with the particular weight that fits your ability, performing 2 sets. The 20 to 25 repetitions will constitute a set. I want you to do this every day. After doing the two sets you are going to feel, especially in the beginning, that you are not accomplishing very much and you will not get very tired. Every three days, lower the bar or raise the body, which will come out to the same results, about three inches. When lowering the bar three inches, knock off 3 reps. Continue the 2 sets of 17 to 22 reps, according to what you started with, for three days, ten raise the body or lower the stands again some three inches, knocking off 3 repetitions per set. Continue doing this until you have worked just as far down as you possibly can into a full squatting position. Always start the lift in the bottom position. After you have worked down just as far as possible, cutting your repetitions all the way down to 2, rest about two or three days and then try your limit in the squat. I believe that you will find that you have gained quite a bit of strength during this drawn out Progressive Movement routine. You can do your upper body and back exercises as usual, if you feel you can perform all of them.
Much of your recovery ability and your strength progression is up to you as an individual. I am giving you routines that I feel are the ultimate in power building, and many of them quite unique. Much thought and experimentation have gone into these, but one thing I have learned through experimenting with other athletes and on myself is that each and every one is an individual. You must learn to judge your repetitions, and especially your sets according to your personal ability and responsiveness to the exercises themselves.
Another tip on doing this routine is to use one-inch sheets of plywood for the height graduation. If you will cut these one-inch sheets of plywood just square enough for your stance in the squat allowing safe foot room on each side, you can stack them up as you lengthen the movement. I have given some ideas on squat racks for this including the power rack’s use, but you may even go so far as I have in the movement, if finances will allow. I use the heavy quarter squat racks with bumper jacks built in and I can just raise and lower them at will. If you cannot afford to build such equipment, or if at this time you do not wish to, either power racks or squat racks with extra guards built up on each side will work out more than adequately for the exercise.
I have suggested in the squatting routine that you build on the program of using the routines in sequence, but if you happen to be a very advanced lifter and would like to choose them at random, that is also up to you.
Supersets were popularized in the early 1960s by in the Weider magazines Mr. America and Muscle Builder. Larry Scott, Harold Poole and Freddy Ortiz attributed much of their development to the superset format.*
A superset is a pair of two exercises that are alternated. For example, do a set of barbell curls. Without resting do a set of seated dumbbell curls, then back to barbell curls, etc. The advantage of supersetting is that it can be done nonstop, especially if you are alternating two body parts such a a curl (biceps) supersetted with triceps presses (triceps). Supersets can be done for the same bodypart, for example, dumbbell curl supersetted with reverse-grip barbell curl. This creates more intensity for increased muscle growth and continuous movement for a fat-burning effect.
In the Push-Pull system each exercise is alternated with one that works the opposing muscle group (the muscles that produce movement in the opposite direction). For example, a set of bench presses, working the pushing muscles, is alternated with bentover barbell rows, which work the pulling muscles. Exercising in this manner allows each muscle group to rest a little longer to maintain strength through a series of sets, while at the same time your workout is intensified by the reduced total training time it takes to do a specific amount of work.
This workout is a 4-way split routine. You may use a 6-day split as well. Do 5 cycles of each superset pariing, and use a weight you can handle for roughly 10 reps.
THE PUSH-PULL SUPERSETS ROUTINE*
*1st and 4th Days
Dumbbell Bench Press, superset with*
Bentover Dumbbell Rows - 5 sets of 10 reps (for all supersets listed)
Chest Dips, superset with*
Upright Barbell Rows
Barbell Press Behind Neck, superset with*
Wide Grip Pulldowns
Barbell Front Raise, superset with*
Straight-Arm Lat Pulldown
Bentover Lateral Raise, superset with
Flat Bench Flyes
2nd and 5th Days
Hack Lift, superset with*
Lying Leg Curl
Leg Extension, superset with*
Seated Leg Curl
Standing Calf, superset with
Reverse Toe Raise
Roman Chair Situps, superset with
Hyperextensions
Incline DB Curls, superset with
Decline Triceps Press
Lying Pulley Curl, superset with
Triceps Pushdown, palms down
Five-Step Shoulder Scheme - Dave Draper
EXERCISES*
1.) Seated Front Press
2.) Steep Incline Dumbbell Press
3.) Dumbbell Clean & Press
4.) Lying Deltoid Raise - Front
5.) Lying Deltoid Raise - Rear
1.) Seated Front Press. This exercise is performed seated, preferably with the back supported so as to prevent any cheating or unnecessary body movement. And, in this position the lower back (which can be prone to injury) is less likely to suffer damage.
This powerful movement is responsible for developing shoulder mass and strength. It attacks the frontal deltoid area primarily, in which one's pressing power lies. Thus, in performing the exercise the accent should be placed on STRENGTH. The barbell is pressed slowly from the rack to lockout position for 5 sets of 6-8 reps. In an effort to increase your strength slowly and steadily, start with 5 sets of 6 and add one repetition each workout until 5 sets of 8 are completed. Like this:
6,6,6,6,6.
7,6,6,6,6.
7,7,6,6,6.
7,7,7,6,6.
7,7,7,7,6.
7,7,7,7,7.
8,7,7,7,7.
8,8,7,7,7.
8,8,8,7,7.
8,8,8,8,7.
8,8,8,8,8.
At this point increase the poundage and go back to 5 sets of 6. As your strength increases, so will your size.
2.) Steep Incline Dumbbell Press. Another exercise with the emphasis on strength, the seated incline dumbbell press works both the front and side deltoids. Here again, the simple system of gradually increased reps, as applied to the barbell press, should be practiced - that is, 5 sets of 6 reps to start, until 5 sets of 8 are reached . . . then add weight and go back to 5 x 6.
For variation, alter the pressing grip with each set; that is, press on set with the palms forward. Think of this position as the hands of a clock on 3 and 9. Press another set with the hands facing each other, at 12 and 6. Experiment with these different hand positions. They may be of use if you experience any shoulder aches at some point in your lifting. This is one of the many beauties of dumbbell training; it allows you to vary the angle of the grip to suit your own needs.*
Press 600 Pounds! - Pat Casey
I’m Going to Bench Press 600 Pounds!
by Pat Casey, as told to Bill Pearl (1964)
Strength is something that has fascinated me ever since I was old enough to realize that some people are stronger than others. Even as a young boy I can remember trying to pick up heavy objects just to see if I could do it. This is probably a normal thing to do because most youngsters admire strength. Yet, this is something that I have never seemed to outgrow. I still admire strong men and have always trained with the intention of becoming stronger than anyone right from my first workout, which was over eight years ago.
I started training when I was 15 years old and weighed around 180 pounds at the time. While in high school my goal was to do a bench press of 400 pounds or more before I graduated. During my senior year at Washington High School in Los Angeles, at the age of 17, I was approximately 40 pounds heavier in bodyweight and was able to do a strict bench press with 420 pounds and this with a two-second pause at the chest. Previously I felt that if I could do a 400 pound bench press I would be well satisfied. But now I find myself changing my goals and striving for higher poundages. I wanted to bench press 500 pounds before I was 20 years old. Again I reached this goal. In my mind I hoped that some day I could become the world’s champion bench presser, and this is the goal I’m working towards now.
During my career I have collected much material on the exceptionally strong men in the weight field and have studied and pondered their training programs in an effort to extract anything that I felt would benefit me. In this category were: Marvin Eder, John Grimek, Buster McShane, Doug Hepburn and Paul Anderson, just to name a few, all of whom have been a great deal of help to me in reaching my goal. Personally I feel that Marvin Eder was one of the strongest men, pound for pound, I had ever heard about for overall strength. In fact I tried to fashion my early training after his. Also, I always admired Doug Hepburn, who actually was not a big man at the beginning of his weight lifting career (weighing approximately 160 pounds), nor was he any stronger than the average person. But because of his tremendous drive he was able to add well over 100 pounds of bodyweight to his frame and became one of the strongest men in the world. Anyone who can take 500 pounds off the rack and press it overhead has to be strong!
Buster McShane, a lifter from Belfast, Ireland, has been the British Empire 165 pound weightlifting champion a number of times. He also has done an official bench press of 450 pounds at this bodyweight. We corresponded for several years, passing information back and forth that we felt would benefit one another in improving our bench press.
Little has to be said as to why I admire John Grimek. I don’t know of any bodybuilder who has not had Grimek as his idol. Here is a man who has held numerous weightlifting titles and a physique that is ideal. He not only has the physique that is Herculean in appearance but has the basic power to back it. I have talked to many of the top physique stars and they all seem to agree that John has done more for bodybuilding than any other person, and has set many of the standards that we follow today.
Paul Anderson has always been admired by me because of his exceptional strength and the way he can toy with such tremendous weights. This always amazed me. I find it hard to believe that anyone can do a full squat with 1100 pounds, when my back nearly breaks under 600 pounds. He has given all of us power lifters many goals to shoot towards.
Last July I set an unofficial world’s record in the bench press with 541 pounds at San Pedro, California. My official world record was 530 pounds. This was made in Pasadena, California during 1963. My goals have changed again, however. I am now shooting for a 600 pound bench press and I am confident that I can do it with the training program I am following.
In the past few years I have changed my training program many times with the idea of finding ways to increase my power in this lift. Lately I have confined most of my training to four different exercises, and these four seem to help me more than all the others I used to employ in the past. These exercises are: (1) the incline press with dumbbells, (2) parallel bar dips, (3) triceps press on a flat bench, and (4) the regular bench press. I have achieved maximum gains in the bench press while using these exercises. In my own case I use very heavy weights, low repetitions and repeat each exercise in several sets. I have listed all this in the routine which you will find below.
The following is the training routine I highly recommend to anyone who wants to increase his bench pressing ability. I would not recommend adding it to your present training routine. It should be done as a separate, specialized training program for best results. Of course if you follow it as suggested you’ll readily understand why other exercises could not be used effectively. But to become a really good bench presser you have to concentrate on bench pressing and those exercises that favor this lift.
Chins, rowing movements and curls may be added to this routine if you feel you have enough energy and want to do more exercises. However, squatting should be cut down to about 10 sets a week. To be effective squats should be done on alternate training days, and should not be included with your upper body routine when you’re working for bench pressing power. Six to eight repetitions should be enough for each set.
Monday:
Bench Press –
1 set of 10, warmup set.
3 sets of 3, medium weight.
6 sets of 1, heavy weight.
3 sets of 3, medium heavy.
1 set of 20, pump set.
Triceps Press with Barbell on Flat Bench –
1 x 20 reps, warmup.
8 x 3 reps, heavy.
1 x 5 reps, medium.
Wednesday:
Incline Dumbbell Press –
1 x 12 reps, warmup.
5 x 4 reps, heavy.
1 x 20 reps, pump set.
Parallel Bar Dips –
1 x 10 reps, warmup.
8 x 3 reps, heavy.
1 x 10 reps, medium.
Saturday:
Bench Press –
same routine as Monday.
Triceps Press –
1 x 10 reps, warmup.
Dips –
1 x 10 reps, warmup.
Alternate 5 sets of Triceps Presses with 5 sets of Dips for 5 reps of each.
About once a month a limit bench press should be tried. This should be done on a Saturday. The week that you plan to go to the limit on the bench press there are several things that you should follow:
(1) Avoid doing any squats that week and cut your regular upper body exercise routine in half.
(2) Try to rest as much as possible during this week. I recommend that you get about 10 hours of sleep each night. If this is impossible, get as much rest as you can but not less than eight hours.
(3) You should cut down on all starchy foods, but eat plenty of meats, eggs, vegetables and lots of milk. It’s also a good idea to include a complete vitamin/mineral supplement daily.
If the training routine is followed faithfully for at least three months I am sure that any advanced bodybuilder can add as much as 150 pounds to his to his present bench press record. A beginner, who has not approached his limit, can probably gain much more.
This training schedule may not seem like a lot of training to some, but let me assure you that if you work hard and use maximum poundages in your exercises you should realize good progress. You must, of course, have the drive, the ambition to excel in the lift if you want to do a heavy, record poundage. And once you get interested in the lift you’ll be willing to train hard to reach the goal you have set for yourself.
In conclusion let me say that it is very helpful to keep a good frame of mind during your training. Don’t get discouraged if the weights feel extra heavy, just do the best you can under the circumstances. There will be days when the weights will feel lighter and then you should train harder. Everybody runs into such training days. Continue training and you will be able to bench press more than you ever dreamed you could. Here’s wishing you succeed in reaching your goal. I know you can do it, but you got to work for it – GOOD LUCK!
Speaking of Paul Anderson, Anderson Deadlifts, a system of using gradually decreasing height block pulls are a great way to build deadlifts. Particularly for those us with mobility issues and beginners that don't have the strength or coordination to lift off the floor.
Whether you think you can or you can't, you're probably right.
Not too much of a self plug. Its always good to know someones background and accomplishments. I appreciate learning more about experience and expertise.
Do you have a link to your podcast?
Thanks
Training for the Deadlift
by Paul Anderson
*
I have spent much time and thought on the deadlift, and the main reason is that I am the world’s poorest deadlifter. I believe at the date of this publication I have actually raised more poundage in the lift than anyone else, but in comparison to some of my other lifts I am rather ashamed of what I have done. Ashamed possibly is not the word to use, because I have a tremendously bad leverage for the lift, as most large-bodied people do. The ideal deadlifter is as person with long limbs and a short body, but no matter how we look at it, we are usually favored or discriminated against in one of the three powerlifts, no matter how we are built. This usually evens it all out and makes it relatively fair for everyone. The point I am making is that if you are rather poor in a lift, you do more thinking on it, and consequently come up with better ideas and training methods.
I must also give credit for some of my knowledge in the deadlift to Bob Peoples. Bob lifted back in the day when powerlifting was not a recognized sport, and was quite alone. At 181 pounds or actually less, he raised 725 pounds. Considering everything I know about Bob Peoples and his training conditions, I must say that he is surely the greatest deadlifter that I have ever known.
To dwell just a moment on philosophy and my friend Bob Peoples, let me say that he has always been one of the greatest thinkers in the weightlifting world. Because of this, I was able to learn various things about the deadlift that would seldom come to most athletes because of my close association with Bob.*
From the instructions and philosophy so far, you can see that I am always very sensitive and aware of a lifter’s position and procedure in carrying out a lift. I have called the correct manner in each athlete performing the desired movement the “groove,” and that is exactly what we are discussing: the particular manner in which each individual finds it easiest to make the lift, always considering, of course, performing in a legal manner.
I have observed lifters who looked like they made all their attempts in one motion. To better explain this, personally I have found that whether I am pressing, bench pressing, squatting, etc., I seem to have to change gears as the bar travels through its particular cycles. On the other hand, I have seen fellows who rammed a press to arm’s length or stood straight up with a deadlift in almost a sudden gesture, without any evidence of this changing of gears, which could very well mean the changing of the direction of the bar as it traveled to arm’s length, upright position, or as you would stand to finish position in the squat. These thoughts may seem trivial, but every individual must learn himself and know how he is performing the lift. Working out in front of a mirror, or better still, seeing a film or videotape of one’s performances can be of great help in finding out just how the bar is traveling, and deciding whether or not this is the proper manner in which you should perform.
These suggestions concerning the groove are important, and this is one of the reasons I have recommended repetitions in some of the lifts as we went through other routines. Doing the higher repetitions not only helps pump a great deal of blood into the muscles, which is part of strengthening them, but also gets you accustomed to allowing the bar along strongest route. Also this is why I say that a lift should be practiced along with assistance exercises to strengthen the particular lift. Coordinate the strength that you are building, while keeping the lift in the groove.
Before going into our first routine for the deadlift, let’s consider the fact that we are going to be doing some variations of the deadlift, and in doing so, we well be performing repetitions. Doing repetitions with a bar loaded heavy enough to work the lower back and other muscle groups used in performing the deadlift makes for one big problem. This difficulty is the tenderness of the human hands, resulting in blisters, calluses, torn skin, etc. The hand is naturally going to get tough as it is called on to do any particular work that puts a strain on the surface, but the soreness that results from each workout, as the lifter holds onto a bar for repetitions usually cannot be overcome by the next workout. This means that the entire muscle groups worked by the deadlift and its variations are going to be at the mercy of the condition of the lifter’s hands.
There is an answer to this and it is not original with me, although I have worked out some variations as the years have gone by. The first answer I saw to this problem was developed by Bob Peoples and as I have said, I will be mentioning him a great deal in this article. He had made two hooks to perform repetition deadlifts with and fastened them on his wrist by wrapping the upper ends with cloth tapes about 2 ½ inches wide. In this same manner, many have used straps to help secure the bar while performing repetitions, but I really believe that the hooks are the best idea. When straps are used, the hands still take a pretty good beating, while they can be far more relaxed when hooks are applied.*
Also before going into the routines let’s think about the manner in which the bar is to be gripped. Many reading these instructions will already have their minds made up and through personal experience know exactly how they would like to grip the bar whether it be concerning the width of hand spacing or manner of holding the bar in the hands. The vast majority of deadlifters I seen use the reverse grip, securing the bar by hooking the thumbs. The main thing I would like to point out here is that if you use a reverse grip on your heavy singles when attempting a record lift, please also use that same reverse grip when using hooks of straps to do the repetitions. I think much has been lost in the past by lifters who have chosen to go to a straight overhand grip when using these aids in holding the bar, and found that even if they did not recognize it at the time, they were a little handicapped with their reverse grip on the heavy single. I say handicapped referring only to the fact that they were not using the power that they had developed 100% from repetitions. The simple reason is that the bar was not in the groove, because of a change of grip.
To once again put the burden on the individual, allow me to instruct you to lift without the aid of hooks or straps enough so that the hands will be tough and strong when doing heavy singles. This must be left up to you and your own judgment. The aids in gripping are just to allow the back and other muscle groups to be properly worked to gain your ultimate in deadlifting strength.*
Routine One
After warming up, the first routine is very simple. Do 8 repetitions in the regular deadlift, lowering the bar all the way to the floor and stopping each time for a new start. Follow with 8 repetitions in the stiff-legged deadlift, with the bar just touching the floor and no hesitation each time. 8 reps will be the most I will give in deadlifts because breathing is a little difficult while performing the movement. With the bar hanging at arm’s length and all the weight extending from the shoulders, the rib cage is cramped. A set of 8 reps in the regular deadlift and 8 in the stiff-legged.*
Routine Two
It is almost imperative to have three bars loaded for this particular routine, or at least have helpers to make some fast changes if enough weights and bars are not available.
The routine consists of three different lifts and each set should be done in a relatively short period of time. First, after a warmup, do 5 repetitions in the regular deadlift. As soon as recovered do 5 repetitions in the “top side” of the deadlift, by raising a bar some four to five inches off parallel racks, boxes, or any other apparatus that you would like to use in raising the bar to a position so that there is only about four or five inches left when lifting the bar to a finish position. The weight used on this should be something that works the body well for the 5 reps, and your starting stance should be in the same position that it would have been if the bar had not been brought from the floor to this point. In other words, I do not want you to get in a real advantage position to handle more weight in this top side lift, other than the position you world ordinarily have been in had you lifted the bar from the floor. The weight you can handle in this “finish out” should be quite a bit more than in your regular deadlift.*
Next, continuing to handle more weight than the regular deadlift, do 5 repetitions with a bar originating on the floor, and the body in the original starting position for the deadlift. The bar should be loaded to a point so that it can only be raised about four inches from the floor.
The two assistance exercises here are naturally to give a good “finish out” and “starting pull” for the dead lift. Many lifters will find that they are extremely strong in one or the other of these positions, but very few will find that they can handle a great deal more weight than their regular lift in both.
No matter what the poundage that can be handled for the five repetitions either in the top or bottom position of the deadlift, load the bar to what you can handle with a good exertion of strength. Work up to 3 sets in this routine with the regular, the top side and the starting position movement constituting one set. Five repetitions in each, then repeat the three movements. This is a routine that you may want to come back to occasionally, for it is a very good one. Other routines in the various lifts may work so well that they become favorites and you will want to repeat them every few weeks or months, but also remember that if a routine does not produce now, it very well could later. So try them again.
Routine Three
For an assistance exercise on this particular routine let’s use the good morning exercise. I realize that there are several things that will pop up as objections to the good morning lift, but let’s do it in a little different manner than usual.
The first time I tried good mornings as a strengthening lift for my lower back, I was very satisfied. I started out with a weight that I considered to be ridiculously light, for I wanted to do some high repetitions and also knew that sometimes discomfort resulted from a heavy bar resting in this position. I did this lift just as strictly as I thought was possible for quite a while and certainly did receive great results from it. The results I am speaking of came basically from my pulling power in the regular deadlift and also the clean and snatch.
Overly delighted with this particular assistance exercise, I continued doing it and even found I was getting much, much stronger in it, but then my progress in the lifts that I was actually performing this assistance exercise in order to increase stopped advancing. My first reaction was to consider what was wrong and give it some serious thought. I was not going stale because I was getting stronger in the good morning, so there must be something else wrong. On real close examination, I found that even though I was continuing to perform the lift with stiff knees, and bending the trunk of the body at least into a parallel position to the floor before rising again, there was indeed something different. I had, without knowing or planning it, learned to cheat on the movement. I was counterbalancing the lift by extending my hips backward, which accounted for lifting more weight with less of the desired results. Because of this experience, I developed a good way to do the good morning exercise, producing tremendous results.
Make a wide belt that can be pulled up just above the knee on each thigh. This belt can be made of leather or some type of webbing, and should be about five or six inches wide. On each belt there should be a ring sewn in, or attached in some way just about midway of the width. By attaching a rope, chain, etc. to each of the rings and joining it to a single rope about three feet from the rings, you will have yourself an apparatus that will help you perform good mornings in a strict manner. Attach a rope that the two original ropes or chains are fastened to on to something stable that is just a little higher than the position that the belts are in around the thighs. When taking the bar from the squat racks, have enough length on the ropes so that you may step forward into your stance for the movement and tighten the rope. (Photos – figures 29 and 30) Lean forward, do the exercise with tension being on the thigh belts. Keep a good footing so that you will not be apt to swing onto the belts and that way fall forward. To better explain, keep a great deal of weight on your feet and only use the belts as stabilizers to lean against and not swing all your weight on. This can best be done by using a very light weight for experimenting until you get it down pat.
There have been other such methods developed, such as leaning on a board and different variations on such, but to me this is the best method I have used.
Do about ten of these good mornings for part of the set in this routine. For the second portion of each set I want you to get a weight that is almost your limit in the deadlift, approaching it without hooks or straps, using your regular grip, and do one repetition. Put this weight down, stand erect, take several deep breaths, and once again do a single repetition. Continue doing this for 10 repetitions. Try to do the lift as rapidly as possible, although I do not want you to sacrifice poundage for speed in performance.
During the first few times you try these singles, work up just how many breaths it takes between each lift. This way you can gauge your performance. Also try not to leave the original stance, keeping chalk nearby so that you can just pick it up and re-chalk your grip when necessary. These lifts will not only build strength but will really put your heavy deadlift in the groove.
Summing up this routine, do ten modified good mornings, ten of the heavy singles and you will have accomplished a set. This is another one of the real killers, so be conservative on your sets, hoping to work up to three.
Routine Four
I would like to start this routine by saying that there is no one who cannot deadlift more flatfooted than with heels on their shoes. I say that I would like to start by making this statement, but there surely is an exception to every rule when it comes to lifting. This is because of the many body makeups and sizes of people. So, let us just say that, as a rule, there is no one who can’t lift more flatfooted than with heels. I think this can be emphasized by many of the lifters who have caught on to what some are calling “deadlifting downhill.” This expression describes those who would actually build up the front of their shoes, raising the ball of the foot higher that the heel so that when the lift is started the lifter is really pulling back and has a better leverage on the bar than if he was flatfooted or barefooted.
Now, operating under the assumption that being flatfooted is an advantage, let’s take a great disadvantage. After a proper warmup, I would like you to do a set of deadlifts with the first being in the regular form, the next four stiff-legged, and a final repetition going back down into your original regular deadlift stance and completing the lift. This is the only exercise in this routine I would like you to do, performing 4 sets.
Do not misinterpret this as elementary, for we are going to do it the hard way.
That is, with the heels elevated. I would like for you to elevate your heels just as high as possible and still be able to put weight on the entire foot. Maybe by wearing a shoe with a regular heel and putting on top of a 2 x 4, there will be enough elevation. If this does not seem enough for you, put even more under the heel so that you are really lifting uphill instead of downhill. This is going to put a unique strain on the entire deadlift movement, and should help overcome the sticking point that you personally have.*
Routine Five
You’re going to have to use hooks or straps for this one. The “down movement” as discussed in training the squat. Prepare for the heavy down movement by doing the maximum reps in your deadlift, which we have said is eight. After the proper rest, your spotters are to give their help in bringing the heavier than you can manage weight to the finish position and, as you voluntarily start to lower it, they will push down so that in no way can you stop the bar even though you should try with all your might. Repeat this four times. A set in this routine will be 8 deadlifts, after warmup, and 4 repetitions in the down movement. If four repetitions are too much, cut them down, and even though you are working up to a hopeful 3 sets, judge this by your progress and endurance.
There are many lifting routines I can give you in every lift that is done in power lifting competition. A different combination of the routines I have instructed you in can be worked out by you as you advance and experiment on your own.*
My tendency has always been to overtrain, and on occasions it has caught up with me just like it will with you. I point this out because some of the routines I have given you are quite strenuous and some of you possible cannot bear up under the full thrust of them. Even though I have said this many times throughout these instructions, play it cool, and work into them slowly.*
Indeed, you will have to work hard to make progress in lifting – as in any other thing in life. You will get out of this work just about what you put in. From many of my comments you should have gathered that weightlifting takes not only hard work to be successful, but also much thinking. I challenge you to THINK! Some of your best ideas will come when things are not going well. This is why I have offered you the possibilities of rearranging the lifts that I have recommended in the routines, or even rearranging the routines themselves where I have put them in sequence. First, I would like for you to try them as I have given them to you.
Yes, there are many other exercises that I could give you, but most of them take special equipment and as a rule, they are not any better than the ones I have projected. One is the inverted stiff-legged deadlift. This takes a bench, something like an incline board but not quite as steep. The lift is done by the athlete hanging by his feet in an inverted position on this bench and pulling the bar from the starting to the finish position of the stiff-legged deadlift. The weights are attached by a cable hooked to the bar going up over the top end of the bench through a pulley. The weights themselves are, of course, suspended at the other end of the cable.*
This is only an example of the many things that I have worked out through the years for special problems in lifting.
For those interested, Starting Strength is having a pre-sale on their new book about training past the age of 40.
(I have no connection to them other than being a reader of some of Rippetoe's previous books
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